airˈcraftman or airˈcraftsman noun (RAF)

A member of the lowest rank

airˈcraftwoman or airˈcraftswoman noun

(someone of) the lowest rank in the WRAF

airˈcrew noun

The crew of an aircraft

air curtain noun

A current of air directed across a doorway or other opening to prevent draughts, maintain temperature, etc

airˈ-cushion noun

1. A cushion that can be inflated
2. A protective barrier, eg between a hovercraft and land or water, formed by down-driven air

air dam noun

On a motor vehicle, a front spoiler

airˈ-drain noun

A cavity in the external walls of a building to prevent damp from getting through to the interior

airˈdrawn adjective

1. Drawn in air
2. Visionary
3. Imaginary (Shakespeare)

airˈdrome noun (chiefly US)

An aerodrome

airˈdrop noun (military)

A landing of men or supplies by parachute (also transitive verb)

airˈ-dry transitive verb

To dry by exposing to the air

airˈ-engine noun

An engine driven by heated or compressed air

airˈfield noun

An open expanse where aircraft may land and take off

air filter noun

A filter preventing dust, etc from entering the air-intake of an internal-combustion engine

airˈflow noun

The flow of air past a moving vehicle or in a wind tunnel

airˈfoil noun (N American)

An aerofoil

air force noun

A force organized for warfare in the air, often with caps when referring to a national force

Air Force or airˈ-force adjective

(air-force blue a greyish-blue such as is used for Royal Air Force uniforms)

airˈframe noun

The body of an aircraft as opposed to its engines

air freight noun

1. Transport of freight by air
2. The cost of this

airˈ-freight transitive verb

air frost noun (meteorology)

An air (not ground) temperature of below 0ºC

airˈgap noun

A gap in the magnetic circuit of a piece of electrical apparatus, eg the gap between the rotor and stator of an electric machine

airˈ-gas noun

Producer gas

airˈglow noun

A faint light in the night sky, produced by radiation from the upper atmosphere

airˈgraph noun

A letter photographically reduced for sending by air

airˈ-grating noun

A grating admitting air for ventilation

air guitar noun

The playing of an imaginary guitar to music, esp rock music

airˈgun noun

A gun that discharges missiles by means of compressed air

airˈhead noun

1. An idiot, feather-brain (slang)
2. A forward base for aircraft in enemy territory

air hockey noun

A game, similar to table football, in which players use paddles to shoot a puck resting on a cushion of air through the opponent's goal

airˈhole noun

1. A hole for the passage of air
2. A hole in ice where animals come up to breathe
3. An air-pocket

air hostess noun

An earlier word for a stewardess or flight attendant

airˈ-house noun

An inflatable building of nylon or Terylene coated with polyvinyl chloride which can be used by industrial firms for storage, etc

airing cupboard noun

A large cupboard used for drying and storing clothes and linen

airˈ-intake noun

1. A valve or other opening through which air is drawn in, esp to an engine
2. The amount of air so drawn in

airˈ-jacket noun

1. A casing containing air to reduce loss or gain of heat
2. A garment with airtight cavities to buoy up in water

air kiss noun (informal)

A greeting in which a person performs a simulated kiss but does not touch the other person's face

airˈ-kiss intransitive verb

airˈ-lane noun

A route normally taken by aircraft because of steady winds

air layering noun (horticulture)

The layering of shoots, not by bending them down to root in the soil but by enclosing in compost, etc at their current place of growth

air letter noun

A letter sent by airmail

air letter form noun

A prestamped sheet of paper used for sending correspondence by air

air lieutenant noun

A rank in the Zimbabwean Air Force equivalent to a flying officer in the Royal Air Force

airˈlift noun

1. A transport operation carried out by air, esp in an emergency (also transitive verb)
2. Transportation by air

airˈline noun

1. A route or system of traffic by aircraft (also adjective)
2. A company operating such a system
3. A hose carrying air under pressure

airˈliner noun

1. A large passenger aircraft
2. An aircraft operating in an airline

air loadmaster noun

One of a team of usu three men in charge of winching operations on a helicopter

airˈlock noun

1. A small chamber in which the pressure of air can be raised or lowered, through which communication is made between a caisson where the air is compressed and the outer air (civil eng)
2. A bubble in a pipe obstructing the flow of liquid

airˈmail noun

Mail conveyed by air (also adjective)

transitive verb

To send by airmail

airˈman or airˈwoman noun

1. A person who flies
2. An aircraft pilot, technician or navigator, specif in the Royal Air Force someone below officer rank

airˈmanship noun

The art of handling aircraft

air-marˈshal noun

A Royal Air Force officer of equivalent rank to a vice-admiral or a lieutenant-general

air mass noun

A vast horizontally uniform body of air

airˈ-mechanic noun

Someone who tends and repairs aircraft

air mile noun

1. A nautical mile used to measure distance by air
2. (usu pl) a point gained by a purchaser of air tickets or other products, allowing free air travel to a certain distance as points are accumulated

airˈ-minded adjective

Having one's thoughts continually and favourably directed towards flying

air miss see airprox below.

airˈ-officer noun

A Royal Air Force officer above the rank of air-commodore

airˈ-passage noun

1. The passage by which air enters and leaves the lungs
2. A journey to a particular destination by air

air-pirˈacy noun

The hijacking of an aircraft

air pistol and air rifle noun

Guns that fire missiles by means of compressed air

airˈplane noun (chiefly N American)

An aeroplane

airˈ-plant noun (botany)

A non-parasitic plant growing on another, an epiphyte

air play noun

The broadcasting of a song, singer, record, etc on the radio

airˈ-pocket noun

A region of rarefied or down-flowing air, in which aircraft lose height

air pollution noun

Contamination of the air by noxious substances such as exhaust fumes and industrial waste

airˈport noun

1. An aerodrome, usu with a custom house, used as a station for transport of passengers and cargo
2. An opening for the passage of air

airport fiction noun

A style of fiction that makes few demands on the reader, considered suitable for reading on holiday

airˈ-power noun

Military power in terms of aircraft

airˈprox or air miss noun

A near collision between aircraft in flight

airˈ-pump noun

An instrument for pumping air out or in

air quotes plural noun (informal)

A gesture, made by holding up and bending the index (and/or middle) fingers when speaking, to draw an interlocutor's attention to the fact that a word is being used ironically or incorrectly

air rage noun (informal)

Uncontrolled anger or aggression on an aeroplane, esp endangering the safety of fellow-passengers

airˈ-raid noun

An attack on a place by aircraft

airˈ-rail noun

A rail on which a road vehicle is carried overhead for part of its course

air rifle see air pistol above.

airˈ-sac noun

1. An alveolus, or the cluster of alveoli, at the termination of a bronchiole in the lungs
2. An outgrowth of the lung in birds, helping respiration or lightening the body
3. In insects, a dilatation of the trachea

Air Scout noun

A member of a branch of the Scouts with special interest in air activities

airˈscrew noun

The propeller of an aircraft

air-sea rescue noun

The combined use of aircraft and high-speed launches in sea rescue

airˈshaft noun

A passage for air into a mine, building, etc

airˈship noun

A mechanically driven dirigible aircraft, lighter than air

air shot noun

In golf, cricket or other sports, a stroke that fails to connect with the ball

airˈshow noun

A flying display, usu at an airbase

air shower noun

A flash of light created after a cosmic ray enters the earth's atmosphere

airˈsick adjective

airˈ-sickness noun

Nausea affecting travellers by air

airˈside adjective, adverb and noun

(of, in or relating to) that part of an airport having direct access to the apron, and off-limits to non-travelling public and unauthorized personnel, the area usu controlled by an airport authority (go or pass airside to enter this restricted area)

air sign noun

Any of the three signs of the zodiac (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) believed to have an affinity with air

airˈspace noun

1. The part of the atmosphere above a particular territory, state, etc
2. The space used or required by an aircraft in manoeuvring
3. Cubic contents available for respirable air
4. An air-cell

airˈspeed noun

The speed of an aircraft, missile, etc in relation to the air through which it is moving

airˈ-splint noun

A contrivance zipped up and inflated for giving temporary support to an injured limb

air station noun

An airfield, esp a military one, with facilities for aircraft maintenance

airˈstop noun

A stopping-place for helicopters

airˈstream noun

A flow of air

airstream mechanism noun

The part(s) of the body, eg the lungs, which can produce a flow of air on which speech sounds, etc may be produced

air strike noun

An attack with aircraft

airˈstrip noun

1. A temporary or emergency landing-place for aircraft
2. A runway

air support noun

1. Support given by fighter aircraft to other forces during a military operation
2. The supporting aircraft involved in such an operation

air taxi noun

A usu small aeroplane or a helicopter making short trips, often to and from an airport

air terminal noun

1. A terminus in a town to or from which passengers are conveyed from or to an airport
2. The terminal building(s) of an airport

airˈtight adjective

1. Impermeable to air
2. Impenetrable (figurative)

airˈtime noun

1. The amount of broadcasting time on radio or television allotted to a particular topic, type of material, commercial advertisement, etc
2. The time at which the broadcasting of a programme, etc is due to begin

airtime provider noun

An organization that provides access to mobile phone services

airˈ-to-airˈ adjective

From one aircraft to another

air-traffic control noun

The organized control, by visual and radio means, of the traffic into and out of aerodromes and on air routes (abbrev ATC)

air-traffic controller noun

airˈ-trap noun

A device to prevent the escape of foul air

airˈ-umbrella noun

Strong air-cover

air vice-marshal noun

A Royal Air Force officer of equivalent rank to a rear-admiral or major-general (abbrev AVM)

airˈwave noun

A channel for broadcasting

airˈway noun

1. A passage for air
2. A radio channel
3. An organized route for air travel
4. Used in pl to form names of airline companies

airˈwoman noun see airman above.

airˈy-fairˈy adjective

1. Fanciful
2. Delicate, flimsy or insubstantial

by air

In an aircraft

change of air

Change in routine, circumstances, etc

give oneself airs

To put on a superior manner

give the air

To dismiss

go up in the air

To become excited or angry (see also below)

in the air

Prevalent in a vague or indefinite form

off the air

Not broadcasting or being broadcast for a period of time

on the air

1. In the act of broadcasting
2. Broadcast by radio

take air

To get wind or become known

take the air

To have an airing

up in the air

1. Undecided
2. Excited or angry